DO you have a drawer, cupboard or even spare room bursting with useless clutter that hasn't been used in years?

Then you are not alone, as Britain has emerged as a nation of hoarders.

The average Briton clings on to £514 worth of unused goods that simply lie dormant, gathering dust.

Between us we have amassed 2 billion redundant items nationally, which amounts to an average of 32 things each. The unused haul has been valued at a staggering £32.7 billion, according to new research into the nation's hoarding habits.

The most commonly kept items are Now That's What I Call Music compilation CDs, with 1.9 million people owning at least one disc from the series which stretches from the first release in 1983 to number 86 last November.

Almost a third (30 per cent) of the 2000 people polled said they had one of these albums in their collection, but a similar proportion (34 per cent) admitted to not having played them since 1995.

Eight out of ten Britons admit to being hoarders, according to the survey by British Heart Foundation (BHF), which has a network of more than 700 charity shops nationwide. Almost a quarter of respondents (23 per cent) have a bedroom stored with excess clutter, the majority of which (70 per cent) has not been touched for more than a decade.

Top ten most commonly hoarded items [express]

The most common reason for not getting rid of things is because people hate the "thought of items going to waste" (40 per cent). This was followed by emotional attachment (35 per cent), being "too lazy" (24 per cent), or the feeling getting rid of things would be "too much hassle" (21 per cent).

Someone who knows how this feels is bank worker Richard Thomas, 34, from Southampton, who stashes his unused items in his spare room. He said: "I hate throwing things away because you never know when you might need them again."

Nevertheless Mr Thomas admits to rarely using these belongings.

"However, if I ever have a baby, I will need the space and would need to have a clear out," he added.

Fifteen per cent of respondents said their clutter made them feel stressed, while a quarter (25 per cent) admitted to losing valuable items because of their hoarding.

About one in ten people (12 per cent) avoided having visitors due to the embarrassment they felt at their clutter.

But of those who did eventually submit to a clearout, around a third (36 per cent) said the experience left them feeling like a new person.

Mike Taylor, from the BHF, said: "It's astonishing how much we collectively hoard as a nation, clinging onto clothes which don't fit and items from eras gone by."

Urging people to have a spring clear out, Mr Taylor added: "We offer a free collection service that will pick up everything from unwanted clothes, shoes and CDs to sofas and TVs. Every penny of profit raised from your unwanted items will help the BHF continue its fight for every heartbeat."